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COPINH Statement on the Investigation, Leadership and Solidarity

The Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) reports, communicates and denounces the following:

We appreciate the national and international solidarity for an objective, impartial and non-racist investigation that clarifies the facts around the political assassination of our compañera and General Coordinator, Berta Cáceres, and leads to the truth and to justice, with the true material and intellectual authors of the murder being subjected to the law, as well as learning the facts and motives by which her murder was planned and carried out, however, we reiterate that the State of Honduras continues to fail to fulfill its obligations in this respect. Not accepting our requests, such as for an independent international investigative commission that has the trust of our organization, are the reasons for which we haven’t trusted, don’t trust and never will trust in the national laws and for which we denounce our country’s legal authorities’ manipulation of the investigation into the vile and horrendous murder of our compañera Berta Cáceres. And that Mr. Juan Orlando Hernandez has not shown the political will to speed up the investigative process and one month after the murder, neither the compañera’s relatives nor COPINH have received an official report on behalf of the government about how the investigation is proceeding into identifying the material and intellectual perpetrators.

We note that the return of compañero Gustavo Castro Soto to his home in no way means that the State of Honduras is released from its responsibility for the moral, legal and economic damages done to Gustavo Castro Soto during his captivity.

According to the principles and statutes of COPINH, compañero Tomas Gomez Membreño, who currently holds the position Organization Coordinator, officially assumes the position of General Coordinator of our organization, having the responsibility to sign all types of cooperation agreements with sister organizations, be they national or international, that may be of great interest exclusively for COPINH.

We denounce that there are organizations and people who are using the name of our compañera Berta Cáceres to raise funds for COPINH that don’t have as their objective the strengthening our organization but rather of benefiting themselves.

Given this, we wish to make public knowledge that the exclusive official contacts for any person or organization that has an interest in helping or supporting COPINH are: Tomas Gomez, Interim General Coordinator of COPINH and Lilian Lopez, Financial Coordinator. The direct contact to these COPINH officials are: telephone (504) 2783 0817 and email: administracion@copinh.org.

Any funding or support that is not made through these official contacts is not recognized by COPINH.

BERTA LIVES!!!

Intibucá, April 8, 2016

With the ancestral strength of Iselaca, Etempica and Mota our voices rise up filled with Life, Justice, Peace, Dignity and Freedom.